Strangerville: Shadows in the Dust | A Manicpot8to LP

Seasoned Ace

2 months ago

The midday sun scorched the cracked ground of the Cactus Gulch Trailer Park, heat waves distorting the air as Bo approached Gloria's Office.

She was supposed to be here. They had planned for her to come over and help with the new oven, but as she neared the door, a prickle of unease settled in; something was not right.

The blinds were drawn shutting out the relentless sun. The neon sign stood dark, lifeless. Even Bo's knock seemed to be swallowed up by the heavy silence.

Her knock unanswered, she stepped inside to find the place eerily untouched, silent; the air was stagnant, the shadows stretched long across the floor. It looked as if Gloria had just stepped out, like she meant to return in 5 minutes, not vanish completely. But the air was wrong, Stagnant, undisturbed; much too still for comfort.

Bo hovered in the doorway, her pulse ticking up through the roof as a lump rose in her throat. She wasn't one to jump at shadows but everything about this forced normalcy felt like a trick, and the panic she was feeling refused to be reasoned with. It coiled tight, pressing against her ribs as she forced herself to take a deep breath. She told herself "Gloria could walk in at any moment" laughing uneasily to try to dispel her anxiety but it did nothing to soother her.

After spending a few minutes frantically searching for something...anything out of place she found nothing. Half drank coffee cup now cold, papers neatly stacked, a calendar with crossed out appointments; all things you'd expect to find normally. She did find it odd that her bag and phone was still there, but it further confirmed in her mind Gloria did not plan on being gone...Not this long.

Eventually Bo sat down at Gloria's desk and shook the mouse to wake the screen. Emails? Search history? Nothing. No threatening messages or rushed goodbyes. A deep sense of unease curled in her chest; she was running out of places to look.

The door creaked open, breaking the stillness. Bo tensed instinctively, but it wasn't Gloria; it was one of the regulars. He strolled in, moving with the casual ease oof someone who knew the place well, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable. After scanning the room is gaze shifted to Bo. There was hesitation, he wasn't sure yet if Bo was friend or foe. Once he was satisfied his stance eased.

"Saw her early yesterday," he said while pacing; "Mentioned heading to the library." Bo absorbed his words, turning them over in her mind. It'd been well over twenty-four hours since then, she knew it'd be a long shot. Still, it was something and she'd take anything right now.

Bo followed the lead and stepped into the cool hush of the town library.

She scanned the room eye sweeping over quiet patrons and hunched figures; none of them Gloria. Bo found the Librarian at one of the desks and questioned to if she had seen anyone fitting Gloria's description.

But she hadn't, not since the day before. Bo mined her for all the information she could get but it wasn't much just another dead end. The more she searched the more it felt like she was chasing nothing at all

Bo spent the rest of the afternoon checking various spots around town to no avail. She needed time to regroup so she headed to the bar, more for the noise than the drink.

She perched at the counter and made small talk with the bartender, idle words, empty distractions. Bo tried not to fidget, to be present in the moment, to not keep one eye glancing at the door, hoping to see Gloria walk in.

But her mind wouldn't stop spinning. Then. A voice. Just muffled word half lost in the hum of the bar conversations, but Bo knew it. Gloria.

She stiffened and turned, her pulse hammering as her eyes searched the crowd. She was only able to glimpse her right as she slipped out the door.

Bo hurried after her, weaving past chairs and sidestepping patrons with barely a glance. She dashed through the exit and made a quick left finding herself suddenly in an alley. The abrupt shift from the noisy bar to the silence made her breath hitch. She saw Gloria already rounding the corner. Bo waited for just a breath before choosing to follow. She needed to know what the heck was going on.

She found herself at a locked door she had no idea existed and waited for what felt like an eternity before the door finally clicked open. Bo turned and there she was. Gloria; framed by the doorway, her expression unreadable.

She looked.... fine. Bo didn't mean to, but her words came out sharp, edged with frustration. "Where have you been?!" "Why didn't you take your phone?!" Gloria tried to wave the whole thing off, but her tone was just a little...too even. practiced.

She said "It was just those base folks behind the trailer trying to buy the land, apparently they had a deal with my gran before she passed..." But Bo knew better. She heard the lie, felt it in the space between the words. Gloria wasn't fine.

The conversation faded into quiet tension. Bo knew there was no use trying to pry further, so she softened her tone, "I was just very worried is all, this place, this place has a way of swallowing people up and I just don't want to see you hurt."

Gloria stood silently, she never intended to make Bo worry, heck she never even intended to be gone this long. She desperately wants to tell her what she's learned over the last 48 hours but she's too afraid to get her involved further. She doesn't know what she'd do if Bo got hurt because of her. She hugged Bo maybe for a beat longer than she should've and then stepped into the night shoulders slumped and mind heavy with unsaid words and feelings.

Bo stood still as she watched her go. She watched as she slipped further from reach willing herself not to run after her. She clearly needed a moment to herself. "nah the answers could wait" she thought to herself as the night settled around her. She knew now was not the time to press.